About Google and Microsoft Jobs

How I didn’t go to work for Google and Microsoft

And then the last star went out ... Pigeons woke up, cleaned their crow feathers, dogs rummaged in the garbage dump in search of food. The sky in the East turned a little pinkish haze. Drawn light autumn wind. He still retained the freshness of summer, but he could smell the approach of autumn.

Here is my neighbor, Uncle Vasya, climbed under his ancient Moskvich, which he repaired more than drove it. Oddly enough, he started his clunker in just half an hour. Baba Klava from the fifth floor, as usual, swore sweetly that she was not allowed to sleep. Morning flared brighter and brighter.

A thin ray of sunlight crept into the crack between the curtains and began to quietly wake me up. In the end, I could not stand it, woke up, and thought about what to do with myself on this wonderful morning. I decided to conduct a small experiment: to find out how the hiring process at Google and Microsoft takes place. I wanted to compare them.

I didn’t have any particular hopes - still small for such large offices, and lazy. Poundstone had previously read How to Move Mount Fuji. I chose 2 vacancies for a C ++ programmer.

So, my little story is in chronological order (I’ll clarify the language of communication, as I think it’s interesting for some):

I publish at the request of my friend, who has long wanted to get on the Habr, but, alas, I don’t have any invites to help him. So this article is partly “pleading”.
This is his article, he and I also came up with an article about Boyar Programming . I hope these articles are worth an invite for him.

On August 30 , in the morning - on the HeadHunter website (hh.ru) I sent the resume for the SDE vacancy to Microsoft - I did not find how to send the resume from the Microsoft website (more precisely, I found it, but everything is somehow messed up there). Vacancy of the developer in the Moscow office for the Dynamics NAV system. Summary in Russian.
On August 30, half an hour in the morning - on the Google website (www.google.com/jobs) I sent a resume to the position of Software Engineer Intern also in the Moscow office. There is already a trainee vacancy. Filled out the form on the site in English. Attached a resume in English.
August 30, in the afternoon - a response from Google came from an automatic system, such as a letter came, man, everything is OK.
August 31, in the evening (Sunday!) - an answer came from HR from Microsoft asking to write a resume in English before Wednesday, fill out a questionnaire and solve 2 problems. The task is about a thread-safe queue, and about checking triangles. A letter in Russian, communication, if you have any questions in Russian.
September 2, in the afternoon - a response came from HR from Google. Invited for an interview in a Moscow office. September 3 and 4 corresponded to the date account, agreed on September 9 in the morning. Corresponded in English.
September 2 , in the evening - sent Microsoft a solution to problems, a questionnaire and a resume. The most difficult thing was to fill out a questionnaire - I do not like essays. Tasks, application form and resume in English, letters in Russian.
September 3rd, in the morning - a letter from HR from Microsoft, such as a questionnaire and other received, everything is OK. Russian language.
September 3-9 - I’m getting ready, reading all kinds of smart books, biting my elbows, and if the interview time at Microsoft coincides with Google, where to go, I’m storming my clumsy English ... Well, you understand.
September 9th , morning — Google’s first job interview. An office in Moscow in the business center of the Hotel Baltschug, near the Kremlin. He came, had a very nice time, talked to HR in Russian, and an interview was conducted by an employee of domestic origin (1 pc.), But in English he talked for an hour, they love recursion tasks, quick-witted tasks (braingames.ru). He sharply increased his self-esteem at the expense of English - they understood me, and I understood them. Gave a t-shirt.
September 9-15- I think silence is everywhere. I think it didn’t work, and hell with him.
September 15th - A letter from HR from Google. They want to talk more, on September 15-17, correspondence, agreed on two interviews on the morning of 19.
September 19 , morning - two interviews on Google. In general, the same as September 9th. T-shirt was not given. In great secret, I was interviewed by a real Odmin - bearded, patly, out of breath, well, further on in the text. I was not ready for Odmin, I was scared - the interview with him was not very successful. Heaped up on the trees. Talked with HR. She said everything is OK - I can try in a year. And it will be very good if I become a candidate of science. It will also be very good if I go not to C ++, but to Java, although only the pluses were mentioned in the vacancy. He said that I do not mind Java. And yet ... Well, in general, did not fit.
September 19 - October 7 , as in the song "I click, but in response to silence ... A strong woman cries at the window." Microsoft is silent.
October 7 - a call on a cell phone - they invite, well, finally.
October 9 - 4 interviews at Microsoft. Office in Krylatskoye. Carry on a free minibus. The language of communication is 5-10 minutes in English, the rest of the hour in Russian. They didn’t give anything. We talked very nice. Tasks from the Fukuyama book and from braingames.ru. At one of the interviews, it turned out that "suddenly" I was interviewed in C #. And yet ... In general, here, too, did not fit. Come back in a year.

Morality

It is necessary and important to go for interviews in order to know what happens to them and what to be prepared for.
The atmosphere is generally friendly. The tasks proposed at the interviews are not something super complicated. It is enough to know the basic algorithms and be able to apply them. Plus try to think logically in quick-witted tasks.
Do not be afraid to communicate in a foreign language (I know, already tired of it).
As for offices, workplaces, working conditions, office reaction speed - everything is the same everywhere. Somewhere a little better, somewhere a little worse.
There is an assumption that they are now recruiting people in Moscow offices for specific tasks. They need ready-made specialists, but this is only my guess.
Separately - I was amused by the smoking camera at Microsoft.

PS ... in the meantime, a new morning and a new day come, and again I have a problem, what should I do this time?